Three Chords and the Truth UK

Greater minds than the average Joe have lauded the guitar playing skills of Katie Spencer, but you do not need to ascend to aficionado status to know that you are listening to something special. This applies to seeing her play live on an increasing number of dates that are beginning to grow as her star shines brighter on the folk and acoustic network, or at least listening on record. The latter is set to take off in new directions with the release of a debut full-Length album. WEATHER BEATEN is just the fillip Katie Spencer needs to broaden a horizon that is starting to branch out more from her Humberside base. Previously, there was the GOOD MORNING SKY EP which started to open doors for Katie with its five tracks leaving the desired effect of the listener wanting more. Now the output has doubled, the promise moves a lot further down the road to fulfillment. From start to finish, the 38-minute playing time takes the listener on a mesmerising journey, while encapsulating them i...

Where do you start with Emily Barker? Back in 2009 at an Electric Dustbowl 2 Americana evening in Leicester is one place on a personal front. From that multiple act event at The Musician and onwards over the subsequent decade, this exiled Aussie has barely drawn breath on the UK music scene and there is no sign of letting up. On the back of Red Clay Halo shows, other full band ones, collaboration with pop-up acts like Vena Portae and Applewood Road, and duos with Lukas Drinkwater, a solo one seen can join the list and a rather splendid one to boot. This was her first visit to Thimblemill Library in the West Midlands, in fact an impromptu show as the team behind these Thimblemill Events responded to a social media call to host a few of what were technically warm up dates. The warm up is ahead of a brand new Emily Barker album that is starting to take shape in the form of several new songs moving into prototype status. The opportunity to road test five of these proved a valuable exer...

Artistic duality threads right through the latest album from Devon-based folk duo Harbottle & Jonas. Starting with the individual attributes of husband and wife team David Harbottle and Freya Jonas, the art of storytelling pairs off into the worlds of new writing and traditional arrangements to form a body of work not too short of heavyweight status. THE SEA IS MY BROTHER takes an obvious lead from the nautical world and unveils eleven tracks spanning the shoreline of our land spinning tales of contrasting ages, outcomes and inspirations. Whether heading in the direction of triumph or tragedy, the blending of golden ingredients ensures the finished product is ripe for listener engagement and satisfaction. Eight of the eleven tracks are written by either Harbottle or Jonas, one of these ‘ Elizabeth Prettejohn’ being the sole instrumental on the album. From history, you know that songs on certain topics are not going to end well such as ‘ Fr. Thomas   Byles’ (Titanic) and ‘...

The chord count is more than three and folk music is often liberal with the truth, but let’s not allow such constraints to shackle us too much. This blog once displayed the phrase ‘start with the cliché before branching out where the music matters’, and the music certainly matters when Mike McGoldrick, John McCusker and John Doyle re-convene for what has now become a fairly frequent tour of collaboration. Post Transatlantic Sessions is the usual time for this Englishman, Scotsman and Irishman to team up, and this is not the intro to that well-worn joke, give or take the odd quip from John McCusker. Right in the middle of a 25-date strong UK tour, the Midland Arts Centre (MAC) in Birmingham is once again the Midlands port of call and a sell-out audience is testimony to the trio’s standing in the folk world, alongside frequent trips to the area in the past. The format of these evenings varies very little, mainly due to each performer honing in on their particular area of expertise. ...

It was six years ago when the music of Jess Klein first crossed my path, although a little research stretches her carer back a lot further. Activity from her has been patchy since attending back-to-back gigs in Birmingham in 2013-14, but this is set to change this year with a brand new album and accompanying UK tour. BACK TO MY GREEN takes her back catalogue into double figures and is a chance to re-energise a European presence for this American singer-songwriter. The anticipated release date on the cusp of a Northern Hemisphere spring is symbolic to the feel of this album, which sees Jess in rejuvenated form following a series of life changing episodes including re-locating from the increasingly stuffy confines of Austin Texas to the more relaxed surroundings of Hillsborough North Carolina. The freshness sweeping across this album begins with a bright and breezy cover and takes root right from the first track. Starting with the opening number can appear a little structural, bu...

Highly recommended and having to start somewhere were two key features attached to catching The Artisanals on what was the last show of their first run of UK dates. The recommendation came from respected Nottingham-based promotion Cosmic American, who booked them for an East Midlands show, and are a team that really know their music when it comes to US acts of a certain persuasion. Having to start somewhere relates to a London date held in an empty generic soulless branded room, this one in a North London shopping centre! Not my usual gig manor, but when in a particular area do not let the surroundings blind a band destined to be one of the very best of their ilk, and better known when the word gets around. The offer of a two-for-one ticket from the national promotion for pre-booking in January did not float the boat of many folks in Islington, but the loss was on those not investing the princely sum of £4.50 for a band well worth a lot more. The handful that did dig deep (or impor...

The first show of a tour when an artist has literally just stepped off a red eye flight can be a hold your breath moment for an audience. Yet so many times performers dust down and get on with a job that experience acclimatises them to do. This was the case for Sarah Jane Scouten, who flew straight into London from appearing at Folk Alliance in Montreal the day before and wasted little time in heading back on stage with her touring partner James McEleney. The Slaughtered Lamb was the first of two venues in the capital to host this Canadian artist, who continues to build a presence over here a couple of years after first introduced. This was a rare excursion down to London for gigs, but an interesting insight in how this vast city supports touring artists at grass roots level, especially on a Monday evening in February. A quick glance around the basement performing area for this artisan pub counted around 20 to 30 customers, certainly not outside the parameters of venues of a simil...

Keeping up with Daniel Meade’s itchy feet can be an ordeal, although not a bad one to endure. It looks as if 2019 is going to be another busy one on the release front as this energetic Scot has three releases in the pipeline. Maybe he did not want to be out done by Ryan Adams (unfortunate comparison maybe since first drafted!) or perhaps it is just time to send a timely reminder to folks out there what a versatile performer he is. The first of these takes a step back in time, both literally and metaphorically. LIVE MULES is released under the moniker of Daniel Meade and the Flying Mules, with intent to capture some of the magical moments that conspired when the combo was in prime form. Therefore, this album sets to pinpoint a period where Daniel cracked the honky code and dipped deep into his inner Hank, and a few other boogie pioneers from the halcyon days of raw rock ‘n’ roll in its unabated infancy. Since this period where Daniel rubbed shoulders with the likes of Old Crow M...

An album starting with a wacky childhood desire about replicating a move star and ending listening to Test Match Special in a bath of Spanish wine is likely to create an element of curiosity. Throw in the fact that Simon Stanley Ward has concentrated his artistic output largely on stand-up comedy since the release of his previous album, and thoughts turn towards a light-hearted streak forming the backbone of this follow up record. A thought compounded by the album cover and backing band called The Shadows of Doubt. Yet there is something more substantial binding the wares of SONGS FROM VARIOUS PLACES. Teaming up with the cream of London’s alt-country rock scene lifts the sound into a heady territory as the largely country influenced tones that brought us the 2015 eponymously titled album have to jostle side-by-side with bundles of sculptured garage pub rock. Any record spearheaded on guitar by Paul Lush (who also handles the production duties) is bound to contain loads of fired ...

Without being discourteous to Dean Owens, the first thought to cross the mind when discovering the Buffalo Blood project was the Orphan Brigade with a little bit of Celtic exchange. Similarities run abound from location-based and theme-driven to creating a cinematic soundscape. There is also the unison of usual suspects in Neilson Hubbard and Joshua Britt, with another cameo from Audrey Spillman. However, the switch between the Northern Irish brogue of Ben Glover to the softer Edinburgh tones of Dean Owens is a significant directional adjustment, not just that the Scotsman probably has the slightly higher profile role across the record than the other three involved. Whereas the Orphan Brigade went on location to Kentucky, Italy and soon-to-be Ireland, Buffalo Blood travel deep into the wide-open expanses of New Mexico, with a particular focus on the indigenous people who bring a distinct flavour to the area. Across fifteen tracks that form the content of this self-titled album,...

Occasionally there are records that come along with your name stamped all over it. Reasons can vary from striking individuality to striking resemblance, but something clicks. First impression need not be the sole arbiter when concluding that an album means something to you. However, it can play a major part, especially in a world when you are forever in listening distance of competing new sounds. The desire to hit the keyboard when first taking in the new album from Kalyn Fay only bubbled away as it compelled a few more plays before hitting loop status. The fact that GOOD COMPANY moved into a familiar zone proved only a positive, as it quickly became one of the standout releases in the first six weeks of the New Year. There is something in the water (or dust) in Oklahoma that breeds singer-songwriters with an edge to how they transit their words to a musical piece. Right across the eleven tracks and forty-seven minute playing time, the moment seizes and hooking into the dusty ea...

On an evening where options were aplenty, sometimes it is worth taking a step into lesser known territory to get your live music fix. Despite Laura Veirs being a relatively successful recording artist for a number of years, our musical paths barely crossed. There was some impetus via her 2017 collaboration with Kd Lang and Neko Case in the Case/Lang/Veirs project, and further advancement in finally getting round to listening to last year’s THE LOOKOUT album, which was lavishly savoured upon discovery. So on an evening when Jarrod Dickenson played Moseley and the Transatlantic Sessions rode into town for their annual staging at the Symphony Hall, it was a singer-songwriter from Portland Oregon who won the day with the ticket purchase. The Laura Veirs show was the mid-priced event of the trio and held at St. Paul’s Church in the Jewellery Quarter area of Birmingham city centre. The operation behind Moseley Folk Festival promoted the gig and twinned this evening’s presentation with ...

November 2 nd 2013 dawned a new era of friendship, association and mutual appreciation between the Wild Ponies and the village of Elford in Staffordshire. Little did those attending the Rod Picott show, ably backed by the Wild Ponies that evening, realise the extent that small seeds would grow. Maybe it would be good for both acts to align schedules one day and reenact that show, in light of how they have kept the UK firmly on their touring horizon since. There has rarely been a tour gone by in the last six years where Doug and Telisha Williams aka Wild Ponies have not called into the Midlands area for a show. (It helps they have to pass through when travelling north south!). Elford has often been the dropping off point even when the gig relocates to nearby Lichfield, and in recent times connections in the Birmingham area have stepped in to widen the exposure. All this is greatly assisted by Wild Ponies being a superb act, steeped in the great tradition of American roots music whil...

The rivers’ Severn and Mississippi have few comparisons apart from the being the longest stretch of flowing fresh water in their respective UK and US. However, common ground flowed tonight as the sounds of the latter rolled down the banks of the former. Five guys jetting in from the southern states (perhaps via a tour van) warmed up a chilly night in Bewdley Worcestershire to inject a little rock ‘n’ roll into a venue probably not noted for bouts of extra amplification. Not to worry, a welcoming house was up for a little boogying and Arkansas Dave responded by getting a packed St. George’s Hall to their feet for a rousing finale. If this is the sign of things to come in 2019, patrons of the Music in the Hall promotion are in for an Americana musical treat. Arkansas Dave (or to be more precise: the Arkansas Dave Band this evening) is now based in Austin Texas, although an artist explicitly keeping faith with his roots. Maybe the trip away from the Delta region to a more cosmopolitan...